Tropicana Orange Juice's all-natural claims challenged in court

Tropicana Orange Juice is the latest product to be challenged in lawsuits casting doubt on its "all natural" claims. Lawyers claim the juice should not be labelled "natural" as it is heavily processed using chemically engineered “flavor packs."

Freshly picked organic oranges, even with an orange blossom still attached.

Tropicana advertises its product as 100% Pure Florida Orange Juice, with 16 fresh-picked Florida oranges squeezed into each 59oz container. Consumers naturally believe they are purchasing 100% pure juice as it says it on the label.

Food Renegade revealed the reason Tropicana juice "is so consistently flavorful has more to do with chemistry than nature" as it explained why the freshly squeezed product has a shelf life far exceeding that of home squeezed juice, and why it always tastes the same.

The secret addition to Tropicana Orange Juice is a chemically engineered flavor pack which contains ethyl butyrate and gives the product its distinctive flavor. Food Renegade goes on to explain "Flavor packs aren’t listed as an ingredient on the label because technically they are derived from orange essence and oil. Yet those in the industry will tell you that the flavor packs, whether made for reconstituted or pasteurized orange juice, resemble nothing found in nature."

A series of lawsuits have now been filed against Tropicana according to the Star, challenging the company's advertising and labelling claims that the orange juice is natural. Tropicana issued a statement saying "it is committed to full compliance with labelling laws and to producing 'great-tasting 100 per cent orange juice.'"

In a similar case the court recently backed Minute Maid's right to continue labeling its 'Enhanced Pomegranate Blueberry Juice' as such, in spite of the juice only containing just 0.3% pomegranate juice and 0.2% blueberry juice.